Kerpal's Workout Journal

[Quagmire911]

Take a couple of grams of vitamin c a day.

 

[Kerpal]

Alright, I felt a lot better today. Still not 100% but close enough, and I got tired of sitting around doing nothing. Decided to go with the same weights I used last time, didn't want to add any weight since it's been a while and I'm not 100% yet.

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 250 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Overhead press:

3 sets of 5 @ 105 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Power clean

3 sets of 5 @ 150 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Hise shrug:

1 set of 10 @ 275 lbs
1 set of 10 @ 225 lbs

After 10 reps with 275 I felt like it was too much weight (felt like the bar was slipping down my back) so I went back down to 225 lbs. I'll try 275 again next time.

 

[Kerpal]

I started slacking off on recording my workouts here

Here's my last 2 weight training workouts:

09/21/07

This workout SUCKED. I don't know if I was still sick or what. The squats went well, but the bench press and deadlift were terrible for some reason.

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 255 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Bench Press:

3 sets of 5 @ 70 lbs each hand*

* First 2 sets went fine. On the last set, I failed on the 4th rep. I had to drop the dumbbells and rest for a minute, then did the last 2 reps. Obviously, I'll be using the same weight next time.

Deadlift:

1 set of 4 @ 315 lbs

The deadlifts went horribly. They felt WAY harder than usual. I had to stop and rest after the first 2 reps. Then on the last rep, my supinated hand started opening and I almost dropped the weight.

I did notice later when doing my Hise shrugs that the knurling on this particular barbell was really worn down and smooth compared to the others in the gym. So that may have had something to do with it. I'm still unhappy with this, I was doing 335 for 3 sets of 5 with perfect form a few weeks ago.

Hise Shrug:

1 set of 20 @ 275 lbs

Felt good, I think I'll try 315 next time.

09/24/07

I normally work out in the morning but I overslept today so I worked out in the evening.

1 arm dumbbell clean and press:

4 sets of 3 (per arm) @ 60 lbs
90 seconds rest between sets

Actually felt like I could have done more, but I haven't done these in a while and I didn't want to push it.

1 arm dumbbell snatch:

4 sets of 4 (per arm) @ 70 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
90 seconds rest between sets

Weighted pistol squats:
4 sets of 5 (per leg) @ 40 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
120 seconds rest between sets

I was pretty happy with this, new PR on pistols for me. I love pistols, they've improved my balance so much.

Bodyweight circuit:

12 pull ups
12 bodyweight triceps extensions
X Chin ups
X Dips

I normally do 3 sets of this circuit with a weight vest and 2 minutes of rest between circuits, but I didn't want to wear out my arms because I had an MMA training session an hour later so I just did 1 unweighted set of each exercise to failure. I put "X" for the chin ups and dips because I don't remember how many reps I did on those exercises.

I feel fine now, not sick anymore. One of my roommates has Bronchitis and had to go to the emergency room a few days ago, so I think that may have been what I had. I'm just glad it's over, that was the sickest I've ever been.

 

[Kerpal]

09/25/07

Core

1. Turkish get ups x 5 (per side) @ 50 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
2. Russian Twist x 10 (per side) @ 45 lbs
3. Decline weighted sit ups w/ 5 second pause x 10 @ 45 lbs
4. Bicycle crunches

Repeated circuit 3x

Conditioning

GPP #5

1. 100 rope turns (sprint in place)
2. 10 Burpees
3. 10 pushups
4. 10 bodyweight squats

Repeated 10x as fast as possible

 

[Kerpal]

09/28/07

Good workout today.

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 260 lbs (same weight next time)

Everything felt good until the very last rep of the last set. As I ascended, I noticed that the bar wasn’t straight; the left side was a bit higher than the right, so I’ll do the same weight next time.

Overhead Press:

OK, I totally screwed this up. I was supposed to do 110 lbs today but for some reason I thought I was supposed to do 115. So I put 115 on the bar, got 2 reps and then realized I was using too much weight. So I went back to 110. I’ll do 110 again next time, I think I should be able to handle it.

Power Clean:

1 set of 5 @ 155 lbs
2 sets of 5 @ 160 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

155 lbs actually felt pretty easy; I was surprised. So I decided to add 5 lbs and it felt good. I’ll be power cleaning my bodyweight pretty soon

Hise shrug:

1 set of 20 @ 315 lbs (same weight next time)

This was clearly too much weight. The most weight I’ve ever put on my back is 275 lbs and I really felt 315 in my lower back (and not in a good way) when I was stepping back from the rack. I got up to 15 reps and then had to put the bar back and rest for a few seconds, then did the last 5 reps. Same weight next time.

 

[Kerpal]

09/30/07

Core

1. Turkish get up x 5 (per side)

55 lbs first set
55 lbs first 6 reps of second set
50 lbs last 4 reps of second set and last set

2. Russian Twist x 10 (per side) @ 45 lbs
3. Decline weighted sit ups w/ 5 second pause x 10 @ 45 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
4. Bicycle crunches

Conditioning

GPP #1

1. Burpees x 30 seconds
2. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
3. High knee dumbbell press x 30 seconds
4. Skip rope x 30 seconds

Repeated 5x as fast as possible

Afterwards I skipped rope for 15 minutes.

 

[Kerpal]

10/01/07

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 260 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Dumbbell bench press:

3 sets of 5 @ 70 lbs per hand (+5 lbs next time)

Deadlift:

1 set of 5 @ 315 lbs (left hand switched) (+5 lbs next time)

Great workout today. I'm pretty happy, finally past that plateau on the bench press and deadlift.

Also I noticed today that I am never out of breath anymore during max strength workouts. I mean my muscles get tired of course, but even after my 3rd set of squats at my 5 rep max, I'm not even breathing hard. I think it's because my conditioning is much better than my strength.

 

[Kerpal]

10/02/07

Core:

1. Standing wheel rollout (assisted) x 5
2. Saxon side bend x 6 (per side) @ 12.5 lbs
3. 10 V-ups @ 10 lbs, 10 knee hugs, 5 V-ups @ 10 lbs, 5 knee hugs

Repeated circuit 3x

I was also supposed to do conditioning today but I had really bad shin splints, I think from skipping rope the other day. I did 2 circuits of a conditioning routine but my shins were hurting so badly I couldn't continue

 

[Kerpal]

10/03/07

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 265 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Felt good

Overhead press:

2 sets of 5 @ 110 lbs
1 set of 4 @ 110 lbs (same weight next time)

I failed on the last rep of the last set, so I set the bar back on the pins, rested a minute and then did the last rep. Will do 110 lbs again next time.

Power Clean:

1 set of 4 @ 165 lbs
2 sets of 5 @ 160 lbs

I couldn't get the last rep of the first set, so I went back down to 160 lbs. Will try 165 lbs again next time.

Hise Shrug:

1 set of 20 @ 315 lbs

 

[Kerpal]

10/04/07

Core:

1. Turkish get-up x 5 (per side) @ 55 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
2. Side bend x 6 (per side) @ 85 lbs (+5 lbs next time)
3. Russian Twist x 10 (per side) @ 45 lbs
4. Bicycle crunches

Repeated circuit 3x

Really happy with the Turkish get ups, they were kind of hard because my shoulders were tired from overhead pressing yesterday but still got through them. Will try 60 lbs next time.

Conditioning:

GPP #2

1. Burpees x 30 seconds
2. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
3. Split jumps x 30 seconds
4. Burpees x 30 seconds
5. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
6. Mountain climbers x 30 seconds

Repeated 5x, 30 seconds rest between circuits

 

[Kerpal]

10/06/07

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 270 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Dumbbell bench press:

2 sets of 3 @ 75 lbs (each hand) (same weight next time)
1 set of 5 @ 70 lbs (each hand)

Moved up to 75 lbs but could only get 3 reps, so after 2 sets of that I went back down to 70 lbs.

Deadlift:

1 set of 5 @ 325 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Finished up with pullups and chinups. I really want to get a weight vest so I can do weighted pullups, chinups, triceps extensions, pistols, etc. but they are so expensive

 

[Kerpal]

10/07/08

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 275 lbs (same weight next time)

Form felt good but on the last set it felt like I was moving pretty slowly. So I will use the same weight next time.

Overhead press:

3 sets of 5 @ 110 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Power Clean:

3 sets of 5 @ 165 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

On the power cleans, I kept almost passing out between reps. Like that feeling you get when you're sitting down and you stand up too fast, but much worse. My vision starts to go out and I lose my hearing for a few seconds. It happens to me from time to time and I'm not sure why.

I took about 10-15 seconds between reps this time to make sure I didn't pass out, my form felt good, so I guess I'll try 5 lbs more next time and see what happens. If the passing out feeling keeps happening I will probably try lowering the weight back to 160 lbs.

Also a few days ago I saw a couple of guys doing power cleans at the gym and noticed that they really got under the bar a lot more than I do. So today I worked on getting under the bar more and realized that made it a lot easier. I wish I could find an Olympic lifting gym around here because I'd love to get some instruction from someone who knows what they're talking about, but for now I'm stuck with watching videos on youtube

 

[Kerpal]

10/09/07

Core:

1. Assisted standing wheel rollout x 5
2. V-ups x 15 @ 12.5 lbs (+2.5 lbs next time)
3. Russian twist x 20 @ 35 lbs
4. Decline weighted sit ups x 10 @ 45 lbs

Repeated circuit 3x

Conditioning:

GPP #3

Rounds 1 & 3:

1. Burpees x 30 seconds
2. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
3. Split Jumps x 30 seconds
4. Burpees x 30 seconds
5. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
6. Bodyweight squats x 30 seconds

Rounds 2 & 4:

1. Burpees x 30 seconds
2. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
3. Split Jumps x 30 seconds
4. Burpees x 30 seconds
5. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
6. Pushups x 30 seconds

1 minute rest between circuits

 

[Kerpal]

Goals:

Here are some goals I've come up with for myself, in parentheses is where I'm at now:

1. Deadlift 405 lbs for 5 reps (325 lbs)

2. Squat 315 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps (275 lbs)

3. Overhead press bodyweight for 3 sets of 5 reps (110 lbs)

4. 1-arm snatch 100 lb dumbbell for 4 reps (per side) (75 lbs)

5. Perform 5 full unassisted standing ab wheel rollouts (not even close)

6. Complete GPP #5 (10 rounds of 100 rope turns, 10 burpees, 10 pushups, 10 bodyweight squats) without rest

7. Complete Work Capacity 101 (10 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 medicine ball slams, 15 burpees, 20 jumping jacks) keeping each round under 2 minutes (can keep the first 7 rounds under 2 minutes)

8. Complete 20 consecutive pullups (15)

9. Perform pistols + 75 lbs for 5 reps (per side) (45 lbs)

10. Perform pull ups + 100 lbs for 5 reps (10 @ 25 lbs)

11. Power Clean 225 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps (165 lbs)

 

[Quiksilver]

You're a machine man!

Keep up the good work.

How does your diet look?

 

[Kerpal]

Thanks My diet is pretty clean, I've been eating a lot more than usual. Really been eating a lot of ground beef lately, around 2 lbs a day. Also all the other usual stuff, eggs, cottage cheese, tuna, fruit, almond & peanut butter, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, etc. I do need to start eating more vegetables though, I eat basically no vegetables right now, so I bought a bag of broccoli a few days ago but I keep forgetting to eat it.

 

[Kerpal]

10/10/07

Squat:

3 sets of 5 @ 280 (same weight next time)

Dumbbell bench press:

1 set of 4 @ 75 lbs (each hand)
2 sets of 3 @ 75 lbs (each hand) (same weight next time)

Deadlift:

1 set of 5 @ 335 lbs (+10 lbs next time)

Finished up with pull ups, chin ups, dips and a couple sets of pistols. All bodyweight, I don't have a weight vest yet but I can't afford one right now. I'm looking for an economical solution. I also want to get some wrist and ankle weights for smaller stuff like V-ups and adding resistance to skipping rope without having to use a heavier rope and slowing down the rope speed (got that idea from Ross Enamait).

Alright... my sleep schedule is completely screwed up because I live in off campus apartments and people make tons of noise here. I bought some earplugs so that problem is solved, but my schedule is still completely screwed up. So last night I just stayed up all night, and I'm planning to get in bed at 12 am sharp tonight NO MATTER WHAT. I HAVE to get my sleep schedule back on track, it's screwing up my workouts and everything.

I thought I would be exhausted this morning, especially since I did a conditioning workout at 10 pm last night (just 11 hours before my workout this morning) but for some reason when I got to the gym I felt really pumped up.

So in the squat, I decided to just go for 280 instead of 275 again. It felt good but next time I really do need to stay at 280, the bar was moving super slow on the last 2 reps of the last set. I don't just want to lift the weight, I want to lift it FAST. My goal is to be strong and explosive.

The bench press didn't go as well as you can see, but at least it's still an improvement over last time. I think it's a lot harder to break plateaus on the DB bench press because you can only go up by 10 lbs at a time, plus the dumbbells are 2 separate units so that makes it a bit harder in a way. Just getting the dumbbells into position is almost like a rep in itself.

The deadlift went awesome. I was planning on trying 330 but after I had put the 45s on I thought "**** it" and put a 10 lb plate on each side. I have to admit I was intimidated but I just cranked the Metallica up on my MP3 player and went for it, and it was a great success My form felt good so I guess I'll put another 10 lbs on there next time and see what happens.

 

[Kerpal]

10/13/07

Conditioning:

GPP #5

1. 100 rope turns (sprint in place)
2. 10 burpees
3. 10 push ups
4. 10 bodyweight squats

Repeat 10x as fast as possible

 

[Kerpal]

10/14/07

Squat:

2 sets of 5 @ 280 lbs (almost failed on last rep of 2nd set)
1 set of 4 @ 280 lbs (same weight next time)

Overhead press:

1 set of 3 @ 115 lbs
2 sets of 5 @ 110 lbs

Will attempt 115 lbs again next time.

Power Clean:

1 set of 3 @ 165 lbs
2 sets of 5 @ 155 lbs (+5 lbs next time)

Finished with alternating explosive pull/chin ups and pistols.

****ty workout today as you can see, don't know why Oh well, I guess there are good days and bad days.

 

[Kerpal]

10/16/07

I was going to squat and deadlift today but my legs feel burned out, so I'm going to give them a rest and only do upper body stuff for a few days.